Dead fish sparks health scare in Gweru

by Staff reporter

13 Nov 2018 at 06:09hrs | Views

TONNES of fish have died at Gweru's Anchor Yeast Dam - popularly known as Ngamo - from suspected contamination, with residents selling the fish to unsuspecting members of the public and raising fears of a disease outbreak, officials have said.

City director of health services, Sam Sekenhamo, confirmed the incident and warned residents to be cautious when buying fish from unregistered dealers.

"Investigations are underway and teams from council, the Environmental Management Agency and Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority are on the ground to establish the cause of the fish deaths," he told Southern Eye.

"People have been scooping the dead fish and selling them in the city, particularly in Mkoba and Woodlands suburbs. We want to discourage people from buying fish from unregistered dealers and fishmongers."

The dam, located on the outskirts of Mkoba 4 suburb in the Vungu area, a major source of fish that are sold in the city.

The development came in the wake of a typhoid outbreak in the city in August, which claimed 10 lives and the subsequent cholera outbreak mainly in Harare, which later spread out to other parts of the country, claiming over 50 lives.